Rotatable heel-lift.



W..J. NEWLAND.

ROTATABLE HEEL LIFT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31,1912.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

WILLIAM J. NEWLAND, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

ROTATABLE HEEL-LIFT.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WiLL AM J. Nnwnuvo, a citizen of the United States, residing "at Omaha, in the county of Douglasand State .of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in Rotatable Heel- Lifts, ofwhichthe following is a specifica-' tion.

This invention relates to an improvement in rotatable heel lifts'for boots andshoes, and has for its objectbroadly, toprovide a lift of few and'simple parts so that it may be economically manufactured, will be durable,

and so constructed that it may be conven iently attached to-or removed from the heel.

The invention has reference to the provision of a rigid plate, provided with radially arranged arms mounted for rotation upon the bottom .of the heel for the support -0 a rubber disk, the plate being mounted upon its pivot in a manner to permit a lateral swinging movement during the act of walking, to facilitate rotation of the disk.

The invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement. ofparts as described herein and claimed, and

as illustrated in the drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a broken View, partly in section, showing the heel lift mounted upon a shoe. Fig. 2 is abottom plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the rubber disk. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the metallic plate. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional "iew through the mid dle of the disk and-through two 'of the radially formed recesses thereof. Fig. 6 is an edgewise vicwof the metallic plate. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 4.

Referrin now to the drawing for a more particular description, numeral 8 indicates a disk of uniform thickness. It is constructed of rubber or similar elastic material; it is formed at its middle with an 0pening'9, and has a recess 10 opening upon one of its sides.' The recess is an lar in form since it has grooves or channe ,sfiardisposed radially and opposite to each other, said channels being formed at their terminals as pockets b. At 11 is indicated a fiat, metallic plate provided with radially disposed arms d. It

is formed upon one of its sides, at its middle, with a dome-shaped projection 12 having at its middle an outwardly divergent annular or conical recess 13, the opposite side of the dome-shaped projection provid- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11,1913.

Application filed m a1, 1912.. Serial No. 712,466.

ing a depression e having an 'ape-rture f communicating with said recess.

The parts thus described are 01 simple construction and may be economically manufactored and when mounted 'upon fthe-bot-- tom of the heel of a boot or shoe',*pi'0vide a lift tending to prevent the usualvlbration and noise occasioned by the rear end of the heel contacting. forcibly with the fioor, ave-v ment or other hard substance, while walkrubber disk, its arms at substantially filling the channels a and pockets 6. When the deplate 11 may be disposed in recess '10 ofthe vice is mounted upon the heel 16, projection 12 will have bearings in-recess 15, which f tends to prevent.'skidding or ,a ;sli dable movement of the. device on'the heel; and by means of the pivot-pin-or screw 1'1 traversing aperture 14 and recess 13, he. device may be secured u on the bottom ofa boo't or shoe, the head of the screw being disposed in depression e. v

It will be understood that the purpose of providing a pivotal mounting for the disk is to permit its rotatable movement-,fso that;

a single part of its circular edge will not,

become undul worn, it usuallyfbei'ng the rear part of the heel'wh'ich first strikes the groundin the act'of walking. The diameterof the disk 8, therefore, conforms-"to the width of heel 16.

While heel lifts have heretofore been rotatably mounted upon the heels of hootsand shoes, no means have been shown for cans-n ing a rocking movement of a ineta'llicsu port which carries the' rubber disk, T eg'fi novel construction" and mounting of-the parts which cause this movement and which conduccs to the rotation of the plateand rubber disk, will now be described. 7

Plate 11 is of rigid material, and since its arms (I are disposed in the channels a, the parts will rotate as a unit. Since this plate is disposedmidway between the upper and lower sides of the disk, it will not, ordinarily, make contact with the ground. The function of recess 13 is to permit a rocking movement of the metallic plate. In operation when walking, the rearpart of t e disk will first be compressed, this being when the heel makes contact with the ground. This compression will cause the rear part of the metallic plate to be pressed upwardly or elevated, with the result that the front part of the plate will be lowered. Whilewalking, this action will be effected at each step, recess 13 permitting the rocking movement of the plate; and the consequent difference in pressure of the rubber disk, at each step, will facilitate its rota-table movement, for the purpose mentioned.

In practice, the pivot-pin is screwed into the heel asutlicient distance so that the rubber disk will be pressed firmly against the bottom of the heel, and the rigid late will generally prevent the front part 0 the disk from being bent outwardly. from the heel, when said disk makes contact with ordinary obstructions.

It will be noted that, since the metallic plate is adapted to have a rocking movement on its keeper or screw 17, the pressure of the rubber disk is distributed in a manner to cause its front part, during the act of walking, to move outwardly to a contactwith the ground, and. this feature operates to decrease the vibration.

"In the construction as described, arms cl project outwardly to points adjacent to the periphery of the, disk. It is an advantage to provide asgreat a length for the arms as .is consistent with the maintenance of an adequate quantity of elastic material between the ends of the arms and the'circumference. of the disk. One of the functions of pockets 6 which are formed in the disk, permits the useof comparatively long arms, and provide a ledge or covering f for the ends of the arms, for use as a wearing surface.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is,

A heel lift comprising in combination with a shoe heel formed with a rounded recess, an elastic disk having its lower face recessed, and having pockets formed intermediate its upper and lowervfaces, a metallic plate located in said recess and having portions entering said. pockets, said plate having a rounded dome-like central projection which passes through the top of said elastic disk and has a seating in the rounded recess ofythe shoe heel,there being -a rounded recess formed in the under side of the dome-like projection, and a fastening element having a rounded head seated in said recess and entering said shoe heel, said dome-like projection having a flaring opening in its upper portion'to permit rocking movement of. the plate with relation to the fastening element.

In testimony whereof I have afi; ..ed y signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM J. NEWLAND.

Witnesses:

HIRAM A. STURGES, A. F. (Emma. 

